LNG import drops 40% to 1.5 MT in May
Financial Express, Delhi   05-Jun-2020

India’s import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) recorded a drop of 40% year-on-year (y-o-y) in May. However, the import volumes inched up 4% from the levels in April.

For LNG imports, Petronet LNG’s Dahej and Kochi terminals have been losing market share to Shell’s Hazira and the newly commissioned Mundra terminals over last three months, analysts at Credit Suisse noted.

The Mundra terminal is owned by GSPC LNG, a joint venture by the Gujarat government and Adani Enterprises.

The total capacity of operational LNG import terminals is 41 MT per annum (MTPA). Petronet’s Dahej, the largest among them with 16.3 MTPA capacity, was operating at 55-60% utilisation in May. The 5 MTPA Dabhol terminal, owned by a joint venture of GAIL and NTPC, has been closed from May 26 due to the monsoon season, and this is seen to provide some support to Dahej’s LNG volumes, experts pointed. Though the existing capacity of Dabhol is 5 MPTA, the available capacity is only 1.7 MTPA due to the absence of breakwater facility.

Petronet LNG is a joint venture by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, GAIL, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.